Review of The Interrupted Sky

[Antonio Bayucan 1]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Interrupted Sky" by David Henry Lawrence.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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In The Interrupted Sky by David Lawrence, he presents a compilation of various poems in which he explores the tragedy of the 9/11 terrorist attack. The preface, which comes before the actual poems, includes a brief personal reflection on the event. He also provides a summary of the many publications and professions he has undertaken, emphasizing the range of his experiences and their influence on his writing. Beginning with the first poem, he touches on the initial shock of the attack, particularly when people jumped from the Twin Towers as the buildings slowly crumbled. Later on, the topic of the poems shifts to his experiences on that fateful day: where he was, what he was doing, and what he thought as he––and the rest of the world––beheld the Towers’ destruction. Readers can expect a whirlwind of emotion as they reexamine this violent past.

David Lawrence applies a distinct writing style to create the book’s storytelling atmosphere. Using religious allusions, he adds an element of spirituality that I find fascinating, yet also unsettling. His poem on “The Falling Man” photograph is particularly breathtaking; he portrays the man’s death with a sincere sense of melancholy and ties it into a much larger discussion about the universality of death. Additionally, I admire the way he sometimes directs the thinking in his poems toward God and religion itself. That technique contributes to a remarkable theme in his poetry: the tug-of-war between humans and a God whose presence we tend to question in the aftermath of tragedies like 9/11. Lastly, I appreciate how he dedicated some poems to the victims. Learning about these people and the heroism they displayed is quite moving.

However, I have to note several problems that arose in this text. First, the lack of commas throughout the book hampers the flow of reading and makes it difficult to digest the content. While these grammatical omissions can be a stylistic choice, especially in poetry, the overall effect is inimical to readers. Several times, I found myself unsure of where to pause in the text, and I struggled to dissect the meaning of certain sentences due to their run-on structure. Second, while most of the poems are fine, a good number of them contain controversial statements and derogatory language aimed towards certain racial, ethnic, and religious groups. That may trigger some people. Political commentary is also present, and it includes hostile potshots at certain presidential candidates. Third, many of the poems, as well-written as they are, contain a recurring theme of vengeance that may turn off some readers. For me, one idea in his discussion, which involved the right to brutal retaliation, was disturbing due to its intense phrasing in the text.

I rate this book 2 out of 4 stars because, despite the solid writing, the poor formatting and occasionally lurid language cause key problems in the text. As a whole, the book needs more editing and revision, as the awkward spacing of the text may frustrate readers.

I recommend this book to readers interested in poetry about 9/11 and the severe emotional impact it had on an entire generation. Considering the charged discussion on topics like murder and Islamophobia, this book is meant for an extremely mature audience, preferably older high schoolers and above.

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The Interrupted Sky
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